Chapter Twenty-Two

As he rocketed through the air, Aeron couldn't help but grin as he felt the tips of his wings start to burn. Once he had gotten used to Hell's warm climate, he discovered an entirely new way to experience flight. The ash-laden atmosphere made his lungs shrivel while the occasional burning ember singed his exposed skin. Sure, it was painful, but at the same time, the experience of being exposed to such an unnatural environment was quite enthralling. "Now then, where is that party?" he thought as he slowed his pace down to an effortless glide. Back on the surface, crowds of devils swarmed through the streets. The adults opened a new bottle of some demonic brew while their children played tag in the alleyways.

"All of you can eat my dust!" one of the kids yelled as he flew away. Many more followed him, and it didn't take long before the running child came crashing back down to the cold ground. "Ow!" he cried as he rubbed a fresh bump on his forehead. "No fair! I thought that tackling was against the rules!" Aeron laughed as he floated down to the surface and tousled the kid's hair. He always got a kick out of watching little troublemakers like him.

"You guys sure are causing a ruckus, aren't you?" the Angel chuckled as he watched the rest of the group fly around overhead. Usually, he hated kids, but Demon children were different. They knew their place in the Universe and stuck to it, and he admired them for that.

"Who's this asshole? He looks like he crawled out of a dumpster," one of the children asked. Yet another reason he loved the Demons' youth: they were all unashamedly honest. "Hey, he's got wings. Is he one of us?" the boy continued.

"Of course not, you idiot; what sort of Demon has wings with feathers?" Since none of them realized he was an Angel, Aeron could safely assume that these kids weren't even a decade old.

"All you need to know is that I'm here for the party," he started, "do you think you could give this fool some directions?" Unsurprisingly, none of them answered his plea for help. They were Demons, after all.

"What should we do?" one of the older kids asked the rest of the group. "He doesn't look that dangerous. Do you think it's worth the risk?"

"I don't know," another child—a girl this time—said. "Hey, Eli, isn't your dad participating this year? Has he prepared for unknown challengers?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, Zoe," the boy whose hair he had tousled grumbled. "Of course, he's prepared. Rookies like this guy won't be a threat." As Aeron pondered the meaning behind their words, the children nodded and turned back to face him. "Just go to the front of the main road and show the people there your wings. That should be more than enough to get in." Aeron grinned and nodded as he exited the alleyway.

"Thanks for the help, you guys!" Aeron yelled as he turned around and headed towards the main road. However, before he could even take the first step, a rock suddenly smashed into the side of his skull. As quickly as it had appeared, the projectile vanished into thin air—leaving nothing more than a small cloud of dust and a large gash across his cheek. The person who threw the rock was a giant Demon, standing almost twenty feet tall, carrying a large boulder.

"Get out of my way!" the Demon roared as he violently tossed Aeron aside.

"Ah… that caught me by surprise," the Cherub thought as his limp body crashed into the street. He landed in front of a large crowd of devils, all foaming at the mouth and cheering as if their lives depended on it.

"Crush him, Gregorious!" they cried as a tiny red Demon flew in from the south. This one had monstrous snakes for hair and was covered in horrific burns and scars. Once he was close, the monster opened his gaping maw and let loose a torrent of sour gas. Everything the green mist touched suddenly withered away. Not even the bricks in the road were spared. They melted as if they were tossed into a vat of acid.

"Toxic breath, huh?" Aeron thought as he quickly scuttled out of the flying devil's warpath. The second the Demon flew over him, the rock-throwing giant turned around and tore a massive stone slab out of the street.

"Watch out!" the onlookers screeched as the giant tossed the boulder at the flying Demon. As the slab flew over their heads for a split second, a shroud of darkness enveloped Aeron and the crowd.

"That's one huge shadow," he thought as the stone pillar came crashing down on some poor bastard's house. "What sort of party is this?" He wanted to ask one of the townsfolk to find out what was going on, but he was too busy dodging the giant's attacks. The flying devil managed to avoid his opponent's assault and then immediately flew closer for a counterattack. In an instant, he summoned forth a barrage of putrid acid and fired it at his enemy.

"Ow! Goddammit!" the giant cursed as he frantically tried to shake off the acid. His bubbling skin slid off his arm in clumps, leaving a small pile of mushy flesh at his feet. Before the flying devil had the chance to fire off another attack, the giant Demon ducked behind one of the buildings and dug another boulder out of the ground.

"So…" Aeron started as he watched the two Demons continue their colossal battle, "what's up with them?" His voice was barely audible over the noise of the roaring crowd. However, one person heard him.

"You don't look like one of the damned, you tourist," an older Demon said as he helped the Angel. "Are you a guard, or perhaps a young merchant looking for business?" Aeron grinned and shook his head.

"No, I'm nothing special like that; I'm just some passerby," he said as he dug a small pebble out of his ear. That giant Demon sure packed a punch. "I saw some flashing lights from the other end of the city and thought you guys were throwing a party." The older Demon laughed at the man's words and shook his head.

"Half of those lights probably came from those two," he said as he pointed to the pair of battling Demons. "The big bastard's name is Balam. As you can probably tell, he's built like a mountain. The flying one is Gregorious. He's young but packs a punch, and his skill with his wings is first-rate."

"I'm guessing those two aren't fighting over something simple like a grudge," Aeron said as he picked another shard of brick out of his skin. "And… it looks like they aren't the only ones beating the hell out of each other." All over the city, there were small spots of flashing lights. Whenever one of them flared up, he could feel the ground shake. "Are you guys in the middle of a war or something?" That probably wasn't the case, but hey, he didn't have anything else to ask. Once again, the old Demon laughed and shook his head.

"Oh no, we're just holding a small festival celebrating the annual peace summit." Aeron raised an eyebrow when he heard that. Since when did Demons care about peace? "At least, that's the official reason. However, I know these young bucks just wanted an excuse to shed some blood." There it was. Unless it directly benefited them, Demons would never do something like this. Unless, of course, it involved violence.

"Although… I can't exactly judge them for that," Aeron thought as he watched Balam pluck Gregorious out of the sky. The giant Demon placed Gregorious' left leg in his mighty palms and twisted it apart, spattering chunks of blood and gore all over the street. "After all," he continued, "there's no better incentive in this universe than boredom." This festival might have been just what he needed. "Sir, do you mind telling me how I can participate in this tournament?" he asked the old Demon. However, instead of answering his question, the creature just grinned and laughed at him.

"What do you think this is?" the old man exclaimed. "We aren't fighting for sport! If you want to join the battle, just go on and jump right in! Although, once you start fighting, you aren't allowed to stop until the day is over. Unless, of course, you die first." When it came to a tournament like this, the risk to one's life was an afterthought.

"That's all I need to know," Aeron thought as he slithered away into one of the back alleyways. One of the most important aspects of a battle like this was the element of surprise. He didn't want anyone figuring out that he was an Angel. At least, not yet. "Well then," he mumbled as he quietly ascended into the skies above, "I guess it's time for me to find my first victim." With a flick of his wrist, he shot off into the distance, his eyes peeled for any free fighters. All around him, the city was crumbling, buildings were reduced to piles of rubble, and the corpses of fallen combatants were strewn across the ground. "Shit…" he cursed as he smashed his boot into one of the shattered walls. Everyone was dead already! By the time he arrived at the location of a battle, the winner had already been decided. "What are you looking at?" he asked one of the losers' corpses, which he swore was staring at him. "How in the world are these Demons faster than me? I'm an Angel; catching up to them shouldn't be this hard."

If he had to guess, the hot climate was probably messing with his ability to detect other lifeforms. However, even if that was the case, he still should've been able to find somebody. The sheer lack of other combatants was abnormal. Aeron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared up into the sky. "Now, doesn't that look familiar," he thought as he watched the golden aura—the very same he saw just a few hours ago—start to shine overhead. Suddenly, he could feel his airways start to congest, and his hearing slowly began to worsen. "So that's how it is." He should've known that the Demons would try something like this. That aura was probably some sort of charm, and if his congested nostrils were any indication, it was designed to dull the senses of everyone in this part of the city. "I understand…" Aeron thought as he walked up to one of the numerous piles of corpses. "It isn't good entertainment if all of the weaklings get taken out in the first few minutes. So, they made this to give the more fragile Demons a fighting chance. Although," he said as he lightly rubbed one of the bloodied skulls, "I can't say it helped them all that much."

On top of that mound of bodies, Aeron watched one of the many distant fights and sighed. The other participants were nothing more than specks on the horizon. "So, now I know that they've given me a handicap, but how do I get around it?" There must be something that the other participants used to bypass the charm. After all, there had to be a reason that he was the only one still watching from the sidelines. "Do you guys have any ideas?" he asked some of the motionless corpses. Of course, none of them answered him, but their glassy eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"I wonder…" Aeron started as he held a corpse's eyelids open, "how come you all have such red eyes?" Even though they were Demons, it wasn't normal for their sclera to be so bloodshot. "Hmm? What's this?" A strange black box was poking out of one of the corpses' pockets. It had a miniature emblem of a white dragon inscribed on its back and seemed to be made from polished silver. "It looks like a case of cigarettes," he thought as he opened the box's lid. Fourteen purple cigars were resting inside, with each one emitting a strange blue light. "What… are these?" They didn't smell like tobacco or any human drug that he knew of. "Hmph," he scoffed, "well, they must be popular whatever these are." Similar boxes were scattered across the ground, and he could smell traces of the drug on every one of the dead Demons. "Unless I'm sitting on a pile of addicts, these are more than just simple cigarettes." With no other option left to him, Aeron shrugged and took out his gavel. "Let's see what makes you tick," he said as he lit one of the cigars.

Instantly, the tip of the cigarette burst into an inferno of blue flames. It sizzled and popped for a few seconds before eventually dying down. However, once it did, something interesting happened. His vision started to go blurry, and it didn't take long before his sight abandoned him. A few seconds later, his senses returned, but they weren't the same as before. "God… this is going to give me a headache," he thought. Whatever was in that pipe had turned him completely colorblind. But that wasn't all. His other senses were also affected by the drug, but their capabilities increased, unlike his sight. He could hear buildings crumbling on the other end of the city and smell the specks of dried blood scattered across the ground. "Well, I certainly didn't expect this," he thought as he got up and scratched the back of his neck. Were these cigars some enhancing narcotic?

Whatever they were, the boon he got from them was worth the poor side effects. Now he wouldn't have to waste time searching for other combatants. "I wonder what would've happened if I smoked one of these?" After a few seconds, Aeron shrugged and brought the burning stub up to his mouth. He took in a deep breath and… proceeded to vomit. "Holy hell!" he cursed as he felt his insides start to churn. In all honesty, when he considered the fact that he had never smoked before, he probably should've expected this. Sadly, direct inhalation didn't seem to increase the drug's effect. Truthfully, it made everything so much worse. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he could feel every fiber in his stomach move as he gasped and gagged. Once that was over, and after he had heaved out what felt like half of his body mass, he sighed and flew back into the air. With the drug flowing through his system, he could sense every living soul from his position to the docks.

"Now then…" he thought as he rocketed off towards the nearest battle. "Who will I fight first?" The closer he got to the warring Demons, the worse the city looked. Where houses and buildings would have been sat gigantic craters. Any nearby landmarks had been completely flattened, and the air was stained with the stench of soot and decay. The Demons that had caused all this destruction were a pair of medium-sized devils. Each had curly horns and reptilian skin. The sheer volume of flames that they spewed out of their maws dwarfed most of the other combatants. Their attacks left nothing but a flat, barren plane in their wake. Right before they were about to jump back into battle, Aeron lunged into the fray. "Does this fight have room for a third?" he asked the two Demons. Of course, instead of answering him, one of the devils immediately rushed towards his position.

"Small fry should get out of the way!" the monster screeched as he opened his mouth to let out another torrent of fire. As the flickering flames drew near, Aeron could feel his heart beating like a war drum. His frozen blood started to thaw, and he could feel a familiar jolt of excitement rush through his body.

"Now, now," Aeron started as he suddenly plucked one of the Demons out of the air, "let's not be too hasty!" He tore the devil's left arm off its torso and tossed it aside in one smooth motion. Before the warrior even had the chance to scream, the Angel wrapped his hands around the Demon's head and shattered his neck.

"Good God!" the other combatant yelled as he watched Aeron's first victim fall lifelessly to the roadside. The few onlookers that were there were speechless.

"I'm hoping that you'll put up more of a fight than your friend," Aeron hissed as he rubbed some of the Demon's blood off his hands. "Remember, we're in the afterlife. If you die, you'll just be reincarnated. So please," the Cherub started as his lips contorted into a psychotic grin, "please, try your best." And that was it. One little jab at the Demon's pride, and Aeron had him wrapped around his finger.

"You bastard!" the devil roared as he shot up into the air. This Demon was a little smarter than the last one. He learned from the other's mistakes and tried to create some distance between the two of them. As he flew past one of the decimated buildings, he yanked a large metal rod out of its foundation. At the very least, the Demon had realized that a frontal assault was tantamount to suicide. Aeron sighed and watched as the devil melted the hunk of iron in its hands. As quick as lighting, it molded small pieces of the metal rod into red-hot bullets.

"Ouch!" Aeron winced as he felt one of the embers sear his skin. In ideal conditions, hellfire could burn hotter than the core of the sun. Its blistering heat had caused the deaths of many Angels in the past. Thankfully, he had a weapon that could overpower the extreme temperatures. "Okay," he mumbled as he whirled his gavel around in the air, "why don't we spice things up?" With a pull of the trigger, the surrounding area was instantly covered in a heavy fog. The mist hung over the battlefield like a swarm of locusts, covering everything in a shroud of darkness.

"What is this stuff?" the Demon asked as it spewed fire in every direction. However, no matter what he tried, the mist did not vanish. In Aeron's experience, lower-level Demons usually fell for tricks like this. The fog that he created was nothing more than a simple illusion. Just a cheap parlor trick that he had used on mortals in the past. Aeron laughed as he picked up a small pebble and threw it at the Demon. The rock bounced harmlessly off its hard scales before falling back down into his hands. The poor bastard couldn't even tell where the stone had come from, much less who threw it.

"Are you just going to keep floating there? Weren't you going to kill me?" the Cherub mocked as he watched the Demon fly headfirst into the ground.

"What are you doing?! Hurry up and beat him!" the onlookers yelled as the Demon dragged itself back on its feet. In the short time since their battle started, the crowd had grown exponentially. By his estimates, there had to be at least a thousand now eagerly watching them trade blows.

"Are you guys enjoying the show?" Aeron asked the spectators as he quietly dashed to his disoriented opponent. It appeared that this Demon was a fan favorite. The number of followers that he had eclipsed that of the other fighters. Hell, some of the younger children even made signs to show their support for the warrior. "You know, you're quite the popular guy," Aeron whispered in the Demon's ear as he slammed his foot into the devil's knee. He could hear the bones and ligaments start to shatter as he slowly increased the pressure. Eventually, after a few seconds, he noticed the Demon's leg start to give way.

"Dammit!" the devil screeched as he clumsily felt around for something to grab onto. His hands flailed in every which way before finally landing on the rim of Aeron's coat.

"Oh shit!" the Cherub yelped as the Demon slammed him into the ground. The stone underneath cracked and fell apart as his body was forced through the pavement. Aeron was impressed that the fiend managed to get a hit in, but it didn't take long for the judge to turn the tables on the devil. Since the fool was still blind, it was easy for him to slip out of his grasp. In the blink of an eye, he had the devil on the ground with his gavel pressed against his forehead. "Tell me," Aeron started as he slowly readied his gavel for judgment, "how are you feeling right now? What's going through your mind?"

"Fuck you…" the Demon cursed as he spat in his face, "you're a goddamned monster."

"Heh, that's a new one." He never heard a Demon call him that before. "Sorry, but I'm no beast. I'm just one of God's precious Cherubs." Aeron couldn't tell if the expression the warrior gave him as a response was one of fear or confusion.

"You're an Angel?" the devil mumbled as Aeron nodded and pulled the trigger. However, just before he sent his opponent's soul to the void, the Templar stopped himself. Instead, he just shrugged and bashed the hilt of his gavel into the Demon's left temple.

"Sorry about that," he said as he knocked the sweat off his clothes. "I forgot that if I kill you with this, you won't come back." If he erased a Demon's soul now—in the middle of a diplomatic mission—the councilmen wouldn't let him forget it. "Well… that was fun while it lasted," the Angel mumbled as he rubbed his blurry eyes. The effects of the drug were starting to wear off. As the color slowly returned to his vision, Aeron sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He had to be at the hotel before nightfall. "Hey, you there, stop!" he called out to a group of approaching onlookers. "Can one of you guys tell me what time it is?"

"Are you an Angel?" a young child asked, to which Aeron simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Great, more curious kids. I'm getting déjà vu," he thought as he cradled his aching head. He'd have to play along to avoid causing a scene. "Why, of course, I am, little one," Aeron said as he unfurled his wings. There wasn't any reason to keep them hidden now.

"Wow! That's amazing!" As the children cooed and ogled, some of the older Demons began to gossip amongst themselves.

"What is a Cherub doing down here?" one said when they thought his back was turned. "I thought the only Angels we had here were stuck in Tartarus. Unless… no… there's no way he's one of them. Escaping from that pit is impossible."

"There are other Angels in Hell?" Aeron thought as his eyebrows narrowed. That wasn't mentioned in the briefing. Maybe the Demons were lying? No… they had no reason to do that. However, if that was the case, then why were these Angels in Tartarus? That place was supposed to be the deepest, darkest dungeon in all the underworld.

"I think you've been smoking too much fruit," the other Demon joked as he pushed the man away. "You do know that I can smell it, right?" The devil reached into his friend's back pocket and pulled out a small, familiar box as he spoke. "I'm telling you, man; this stuff can mess with your head. You aren't a fighter, so why are you using it?" While the Demons continued to argue, Aeron frowned and took out the box he'd found earlier.

"So, this stuff is fruit, huh?" Whoever created it probably named it after the story of Adam and Eve. "It seems like the devils are gaining a sense of whimsy," Aeron thought as he opened the box and plucked out one of the cigars. Yet again, after the cigar was lit, his vision started to blur, and the boost to his other senses returned. "The Demons participating in this little slugfest must've been using these to track each other down." The two devils he had just defeated also had a few boxes on them. "I wonder," he thought as he carefully inspected one of the cigarettes, "who made these?" After pondering the topic for a few moments, Aeron shrugged and shook his head. That wasn't an important question right now. What drew his curiosity was that other rumor—the one about there being other Angels in Hell. "I should probably go to the hotel and report this to Jeremy." Aeron sighed while he took a drag on his cigarette. "I guess now I finally have something to talk about at the summit." Once he had finished his smoke, Aeron once again unfurled his wings and took to the sky. It was time for the party to begin.

One year ago...

I finally made it after numerous appeals and denials. I have been permitted to attend the annual diplomatic summit. I can't say I'm a massive fan of the location, but if I can persuade a few of the visiting diplomats to lend me a hand, I think I can help the people living in my district. The whole thing has cost me many nights and caused breakouts on what little skin I have left. However, that doesn't mean the past few months have been nothing but doom and gloom. The two bodyguards I hired perked me up. Elizabeth—an eccentric girl—has been a fantastic help around the office. And Kashif—a quiet man—has this calming presence about him. Honestly, for someone like me, they couldn't be more perfect. Both are fiercely loyal and don't ask many questions. They are model employees!

However, their loyalty can be a problem at times. Since they don't ask many questions, I fear that someone could easily take advantage of them. People here aren't trustworthy, and they keep their cards close to their chests. Especially when it comes to our subordinates, whoever has the best pieces in this invisible chess game comes out on top. Elizabeth is my queen, and Kashif is my rook. But for me to win this game, I'll need a knight. I'll need a contact in the Bureau. Even though I despise the judges, it would be naive to ignore them. They are the gatekeepers into God's garden and have the final word on souls' destinations. To improve my territory, the cooperation of the judges will be a necessary evil. I have a few candidates in mind—specifically, low-ranking engineers and rookies. However, none of them hold the political power that I truly need. If the world were fair, I'd get access to some of the Bureau's leading officers. However, those people are monopolized by the bureaucrats on the top floors. Finding the right person in my position would be like finding a nail in a pile of needles.